1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to access control methods and systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to an access control method to be used in a communication system including a plurality of communication terminals for controlling a band to be used by each communication terminal for access based on a state of communication, and an access control system to which the access control method is applied.
2. Description of the Background Art
An example of a conventional technology for controlling a band to be used by a communication terminal based on a state of communication is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-87283. In this conventional technology, controlling over a communication band in an upstream direction from a subscriber terminal to a host communication device is achieved by band allocation using a reservation protocol, for example.
In communication over a large-scale network, such as the Internet or a CATV system, traffic is managed in various manners by using the controller communication device, an access point, a gateway, or the like. In the near future, however, a home network is expected to become widespread, and therefore traffic management in a small-sized network is expected to become important.
In such a home network, terminals included in home electrical products, such as personal computers, televisions, and air conditioners, are expected to be directly connected to one another. Therefore, communication band management has to be readily performed among the terminals at high speed. However, application of conventional technologies for use in a large-scale network, such as a band allocation technology using a reservation protocol for a home network and a technology for data transmission from one terminal to another via a band control device typified by an access point or a gateway, makes the overall processing complex and the response and band usage inefficient.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an access control method and system using a scheme in which each communication terminal reports its state of communication to another communication terminal, thereby achieving simplification in processing, improvement in response, and efficient use of bands.